The Atlanta Hawks have officially begun a new era.
In the first game in nearly eight full seasons with Trae Young not a part of the roster, the Atlanta Hawks took down the Denver Nuggets 110-87.
There were a wide variety of storylines to follow in this matchup, and the day-of injury report only stirred up more drama.
Kristaps Porzingis and Zaccharie Risacher, players who were not listed on the injury report the day prior, were both ruled out for the first game of Atlanta's road trip.
Of course, fans speculated whether or not this meant a trade was in the works. It's unlikely, but after dealing Young, anything seems to be on the table.
The players on the court, however, needed to stay away from any potential distractions and pick up a much-needed win. Even with their top two offensive weapons sidelined, the Nuggets have proven to be one of the league's more resilient teams.
With both squads missing key pieces, the Hawks had a wonderful opportunity to build off of their previous win and begin the west coast trip on a high note.
Now with a thinner guard room than before, Atlanta's success moving forward is going to depend on Dyson Daniels. On the season, despite his regressing shooting splits, Daniels is averaging a solid 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.
If the Hawks were going to take down the Nuggets, they needed their new lead playmaker to carve up the defense and impress as a facilitator.
Daniels flourishing without Trae proves the Hawks are in good hands.
Everyone's seen what The Great Barrier Thief can do when he's comfortable. Up until Friday night's game, however, he hasn't had the same level of offensive freedom this season compared to last.
His outside shot has been wildly inconsistent, and when he's forced into more of an off-ball role, that weakness is much more prevalent.
Well, against the Nuggets, he got more touches than he's had all season, and it paid off. In 36 minutes played, his presence on both ends of the floor was felt, forcing Denver to send major adjustments defensively. This simply got them out of rhythm, and Atlanta capitalized.
As the Hawks' lead ball-handler, Daniels chipped in 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also terrorized Denver on the defensive end, picking up four steals.
Dyson Daniels has his first career triple-double.
— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) January 10, 2026
15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
He also has four steals.
Quite the coincidence, isn't it? In his first game with Trae Young off the roster, Dyson Daniels recorded his first career triple-double.
Judging off the confidence he was able to display in his first official game with a new role, it shouldn't be far-fetched to assume many more triple-doubles are on the way.